EditorialOne billion dollars worth of decisions About $1 billion is left from the federal Community Development Block Grants that Congress and President Bush authorized to help Lower Manhattan recover from the aftershocks of Sept. 11, 2001. There are many projects deserving of some C.D.B.G. money and most can be funded with relatively modest sums. Its triage time, and heres how we think it should be spent.

Penny PostThe golden yearsBBy Andrei Codrescu
The graying of America is plum crazy. Millions of people about to retire are dusting off youthful fantasies.

Tribeca babySharon Decker, former executive director of the Tribeca Organization, gave birth to Skyler Decker Davidman, April 17 at 6:52 p.m. She and her husband, Rick Davidman, owner of DFN Gallery in Tribeca, above with Skyler, say their son came into the world at 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 19.6 inches, and looks like hes going to be a redhead with big blue eyes.

Talking PointPreserving history, preventing delays at the W.T.C.By Anthony Gardner
Some Downtown residents continue to assert that preservation of historic remnants at the World Trade Center site will lead to massive delays in the redevelopment; serve as a tribute to Al Qaeda destruction; and that a small group of Sept. 11 families are crippling the economic rebirth of Lower Manhattan. What these residents fail to do is provide factual information to support their claims.

A little green and garbage to spruce up course By Jill SternDuring the winter soccer season at Pier 40 I saw Ben Maer, age 15, and a freshman at Bronx High School of Science, every weekend, because he was the referee at my daughters games. All the moms on the sideline at the indoor field were impressed with Ben. I recently interviewed him via e-mail about his part-time job as a soccer referee with the Downtown Soccer League. He is one of only five teenagers the league hired.

Elly Sosa of the Downtown Little Leagues Pirates slid in safely Saturday on Opening Day, the leagues first day on the Battery Park City permanent ballfields. In 2002, the league used fields all over the city because the diamonds were used to park World Trade Center recovery vehicles, and last year players went on the road again as they waited for the new grass fields to be ready.

Safe at home! New season, new fieldsBy Deborah Lynn Blumberg
In fresh uniforms and caps, Downtown Little Leaguers marched with their coaches, parents, siblings and family dogs from City Hall Park to Battery Park City Saturday, marking the start of the season and the first played on the neighborhoods new, state-of-the-art, grass fields.

Reunion of N.E.A. 4By JERRY TALLMER
All four were, astonishingly, dressed completely in black, as if in mourning, each and every one of them  black T-shirt, black blouse, black sweater, black dress. Even the moderator, N.Y.U. librarian Marvin J. Taylor, was jacketed in black, though the violet shirt radiating from beneath that jacket supplied the stages one spot of color.

9/11 money battle continues at C.B. 1 By Josh Rogers
In the face of a report that most of the remaining $1 billion in post-9/11 aid has already been slated to build a commuter-airport rail link to Downtown, Community Board 1 recommended spending much of the money on affordable housing, park space, community centers and a school.

Council looks to check power of variance granting boardBy Albert Amateau
Elected officials and community activists who have long-standing grievances with the Board of Standards and Appeals for granting variances that allow projects to exceed height limits welcomed a proposal on Monday to give the City Council an option to review B.S.A. decisions.

Cooling offIt looked and felt like the season skipped right to summer last Monday as the sprinklers in Washington Market Park were a welcome relief. Photos by Lisa Leighton

C.B.1 rejects Site 5C plan, negotiations continueBy Elizabeth OBrien
Community Board 1 rejected the Bloomberg administrations intended sale of the city lot on Chambers St. to a private developer who plans to construct a 35-story residential tower on the site.

Neighborhood group releases grand plan for ChinatownBy Elizabeth OBrien
Watch your back, San Francisco: that was the message from elected officials and community leaders as they unveiled a plan that would transform New Yorks Chinatown into Americas Chinatown..

Police forced off plaza to neighbors delightBy Elizabeth OBrien
The asphalt triangle behind police headquarters didnt look like much of a park on a recent, sunny Friday afternoon. But James Madison Plaza was finally free of cars, and Parks Department workers had installed flower beds and benches around its perimeter just hours before community members gathered there to celebrate the plazas reopening as a public space.

Bill to allow off-duty police outside bars, gains supportBy Lincoln Anderson
Supporters of the plan to post off-duty uniformed police officers outside bars for noise control are confident a bill in the City Council authorizing the practice will pass easily. The Councils Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing and vote on the bill  introduced by Brooklyn Councilmember David Yassky  on April 29, and the full Council is expected to vote on it the following Wednesday, May 3.

Raising money for Tony Randalls dreamBy JERRY TALLMER
The only person not in black tie in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel happened to be the best-looking male in that ballroom, or in all America. Koch on FilmB 29 Palms (-)David Denby, The New Yorker magazine movie critic, spent a great deal of his review commenting on this films director, Bruno Dumont. He stated that Dumonts films are gaunt and cryptic yet they dont insult the audience, they communicate their gloomy questions in ways that leave one aroused and unsettled. Not this one, David. +|||+ Hellboy (-)Several reviewers made positive comments about this movie based on a comic series by Mike Mignola. They favorably compared it to films like Men in Black, and The Hulk.

Take a tour of artists studios with TOASTBy Janel Bladow
Want an up-close and personal look at how an artist works? Would you like to mingle and talk with painters and sculptors about where they get their ideas? Or are you just looking for a fun way to spend a spring weekend Downtown?